Dice agitator



8. C. GRUNlG March 9, 1937.

- DICE AGITATOR Filed April 13, 1936 INVENTOR.

I Befn/zard CI Grz'1n7 22 BY' HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to dice agitators.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved dice agitator which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and eflicient in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cabinet in which dice are visibly displayed through a translucent wall member, and wherein indicium bearing dice may be agitated so as to cause them to assume various interchangeable combinations relative to the said indicium.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved device wherein indicium bearing dice may be agitated and caused to positively come to rest in a definite score indicating position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

- The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of cabinet embodying the present invention; Fig. 2.is a vertical cross sectional view of the same taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a part embodied in the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the same; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of an electrical circuit embodied in the present invention.

This invention constitutes an improvement over the present pending application of Samuel H. Melnick and Paul B. Chapin filed November 20, 1935, and bearing Serial No. 50,641.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the cabinet of a game apparatus is generally indicated at H] and is of that type known as the pin and marble game or bagatelle which includes an inclined play board ll having out openings I 2 disposed therein; a ball retaining member l3 slidably mounted beneath the said play board I l, which is adapted to be moved in a plain substantially parallel to the latter by a coin chute (not shown) a plunger (not shown) adapted to project balls onto the upper area of the said play board II; and a ball return runway [4 upon which the said balls may be returned to an elevating device (not shown).

Attached to one end of the cabinet E3 is a vertically upstanding cabinet l5 which includes a plurality of compartments IS in which acorresponding number of dice ll are disposed, said dice being visible through a transparent wall 18 of the cabinet l5 at one side thereof. The dice i! normally rest on a resilient supporting member i9 which is fixed at its ends in the cabinet I 5 as at 20. Disposed beneath the resilient supporting member I9 relative to the dice I! are a corresponding number of solenoids 2la, Zlb and 210 the armatures 22 of which are adapted to strike the resilient member I9 so as to cause the dice I! to be projected vertically into the upper area of those corresponding compartments it and thus agitate the dice l1 whereby they may, upon gravitating onto the resilient supporting member I 9, come to rest in a changed position with respect to their original position, thus bringing a different surface of the cubes or dice I'l into view through the transparent wall l8.

Slidably mounted on one side wall of the cabinet I5, for movement parallel to the resilient supporting member I9, is a member 23, which carries a plurality of shutters or agitating members corresponding to the number of dice H. The slide member 23 is normally urged into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 by a spring 25 having one end portion attached to the slide bar 23 and its opposite end portion fixed in the cabinet as shown. An arm 26 which is formed as a part of the slide member 23 extends laterally therefrom into the path of movement of an armature 21, the movable element of a solenoid 28 which is supported in the cabinet l5 as shown (Figs. 1, 2 and 3).

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, in which is shown a bottom plan view of the play board I l, a control unit for the solenoids 2 la, 2 lb, 2lc, and 28 is generally indicated at 29 and is substantially suspended beneath the play board II as shown. This control unit 29 constitutes a dash pot 30 the piston rod or slide bar 3| of which is adapted to move in a plain parallel to the ball retaining member l3, when so actuated by an arm 32 which extends laterally from a point 33 where it is fixed to the ball retaining member l3 so as to dispose the free end portion 34 of the arm 32 in a position to engage a pin 35 which depends from the free end portion of the slide bar or piston shaft 3|. The opposite end of the pin 35 is loosely connected to one end portion of an arm 36 the opposite end portion 31 of which is attached to one end of a coil spring 38 having its opposite end fixed in the cabinet H) as shown. The end portion 31 of the arm 36 carries a depending roller 39 which is adapted to ride the peripheral surface 4|] of an elliptical shaped cam 4| which is fastened to the bottom surface of the play board A bank of resilient switch elements is dependently supported from the play board H and has a number of extended arm portions, one for each of the solenoids 2|a, 2|b, 2|c and 28, the end portions 42 and 43 of which are positioned in spaced relation with respect to the cam 4| so that when the latter is encompassed by the roller 39, in a manner to be described presently, the roller will engage each of end portions 42 and 43 thus closing consecutively a switch 44, 45, 4.6 and 41 for a reason which will become apparent shortly.

Referring particularly to Fig. 6 a schematic wiring diagram of an electrical circuit embodied in the present invention is generally indicated at 48 which includes a source of energy 49 in the form of a battery of dry cells which has one side connected to each of the elements of the switches 44, 45, 46 and 41 having extended portions 42 and 43 by a conductor 56. The opposite element of the switch 44 being. connected to the solenoid 2|a by a conductor 5|; the opposite element of the switch 45. being connected to the solenoid 2| 2) by a conductor 52; the opposite element of the switch 45 being connected to the solenoid 2 lo by a conductor 53; and the opposite element of the switch 46 being connected to the solenoid 28 by a conductor 54. The opposite sides of the solenoids 2|a, 2|b, 2|c and 28 being grounded into the source of energy 49 through a conductor 55.

A latch dog 56 (Figs. land 5) is pivotally mounted at 60 upon a stationary support 62 which depends from the play board ii and is urged by a spring 6| into engagement with one side wall of the piston rod 3| so as to enter a notched portion 51 formed in the latter when the said notch 51 is moved into a position opposite the latch dog 56. Depending from the laterally extending arm 32 of the ball-retaining member I3 is an arm 58 which is engageable with the free end portion of the latch dog 56 for reasons to be given presently.

When the coin slide (not shown) is pushed inwardly to operate the game apparatus, the ball retaining member I3 is caused to move from left to right (Figs. 2 and 4) to release the balls trapped in the out openings 2 (in a manner well known in the art). Whereupon the laterally extending arm 32 of the ball retaining member |3 will engage the pin 35 which depends from the piston rod 3| and cause the latter to be moved from left to right (Fig. 4) against the action of the spring 38, until the latch dog 56 engages the notch 51 formed in the slide bar 3| of the dash pct 30. The roller will have simultaneously moved in a counterclockwise direction around the cam 4| into a position wherein it is about to engage the extension 42 of the switch 44. Subsequently the coin chute will be returned to its normal position and the ball retaining member will likewise return to normal position by action of resetting springs (not shown) whereupon the depending arm 58 of the laterally extending arm 32 will engage the free end portion 59 of the latch dog 56 and pivot the latter at 60, (clockwise, Fig. 4) against the action of the spring 6|. The latch dog 56 being thus disengaged from the notch 51 of the piston rod 3| releases the latter for movement from right to left by action of the spring 38. This return movement being retarded by the action of the dash pot 38 so that the roller in continuance of its movement counterclockwise around the cam 4| will engage each of the extended portions 42 and 43 of the switches 44, 45, 46 and 41 so as to close each of the latter and complete electrical circuits to the solenoids 2|a, 2| b, 2| 0 and 28 respectively.

The circuit to the solenoids being thus completed will cause the movable elements 22 to be actuated against the resilient supporting member Hi to project the dice l1 into the upper area of the compartments l6 and thereby change the combination of indicium indicated thereon in view through the transparent wall i8.

Heretofore it has been a common occurrence for the dice to assume an irregular or indefinite position, that is, one surface of the cube has failed to assume a position parallel to the transparent wall |8 as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. However, in the present device the movement of the armature 21 of the solenoid 28 (from right to left, Fig. 1, left to right, Fig. 3) causes the slide bar 23 to move in a like direction by engagement of the armature 21 with the laterally extending arm 26 of the slide bar 23 against the action of the spring 25; whereupon the vertically extending shutters 24 of the slide bar 23 move with the latter from full to dotted line position, Fig. 3, and engage the corner of the irregularly positioned cube or dice (positioned as shown in dotted line, Fig. 2), and causes the latter to drop into a definite position (as shown in full line, Fig. 2) upon the resilient supporting member i3, thus causing all the dice to assume a definite position upon completion of the operation of the switches 44, 45, 46 and 41 and the solenoids 2|a, lib, 2|c and 28.

The resetting spring 25 will, upon the breaking of the circuit at the switch 41 and the deenergizing action of the solenoid 26, urge the slide bar and its component parts back into initial position, as shown in full lines (Fig. 3).

While I have illustrated and described the pre-- ferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construc tion set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An amusement device comprising dice containing compartments having an open bottom, agitating means positioned in the open bottoms for agitating dice within the compartments, and means movable into and out of the compartments in a direction to engage any of the dice in the said compartments not positioned flatly upon the agitating means, and to cause the said dice thus engaged to assume a flat position upon said agitator.

2. An amusement device comprising dice containing compartments having sight openings through which dice in said compartments are visible and said compartments having open bottoms; agitating means located adjacent the open bottoms for agitating the dice within said compartments; striking means movable in a direction across the sight openings and adapted to engage any of the dice in the said compartments not disposed in a flat position upon the agitating means to cause the dice thus engaged to assume a flat position upon said agitator so that all of said dice will be positioned with one of their indicia bearing surfaces in a plane whereby they are visible through the said sight openings.

3. An amusement device including a compartment having a movable bottom wall portion, a die thereon, electrical means for agitating said bottom portion and the said die, a member movable into and out of said compartment for engagement with said die to cause the latter to rest squarely upon said bottom wall portion, a second electrical means for operating said last-mentioned member, together with switching means operable to actuate the aforesaid electrical means sequentially.

4. An amusement device including dice containing compartments having transparent side wall portions through which the dice are visible, said compartments having movable bottom wall portions, electrical means for moving said wall portions to agitate the dice in said compartments, striking means movable in a direction across the said transparent side wall portions in each of said compartments to engage the dice therein and cause any of the same which may not be resting squarely on said bottom wall portion as a result of said agitation to assume a proper fiat position on the said bottom wall, a second electrical means for operating said striking means, together with manually controlled switch means for actuating said first and second electrical means in sequence.

5. A game apparatus including a cabinet having a plurality of compartments with transparent side wall portions and each having a movable bottom wall portion, dice in each of said compartments and adapted to lie flatly on said bottom wall portions, electrically operable means for moving said bottom wall portions to agitate the dice, means for causing said dice to assume a proper flat position in said compartments and including a slidably supported member in said cabinet and having a plurality of extended fingers adapted for movement into and out of said compartments to engage the dice therein, electrical means for sliding said slidable bar in a direction to move said fingers in the said compartments, and yieldable means normally urging said bar in a direction to position said fingers out of said compartments.

BERNHARD C. GRUNIG. 

